Teen Spirit
by NicholasFawn
Summary: Sora and Roxas are doing everything according to plan. They have all the friends they could want and anything they could possibly ever need. However, when they finally save up enough money to go on a vacation with their closest friends, they meet two boys who are ready to throw a wrench into those plans.
1. Destiny Island Beachfront Resort

Sora sits in the backseat of the car with the window down and the air blowing through his hair. Nirvana plays through his headphones, and though he appears relaxed on the outside, his body is thrumming with excitement.

He sticks his head out of the window and looks at the car behind him. Kairi, his girlfriend, is driving. After a whole school year of pining after her, he finally confessed his feelings on the last day of school. They've been dating ever since, making this their one month anniversary.

For the first time, he and his friends managed to save up enough money to spend a few weeks at the Destiny Islands Beachfront Resort. He spent the whole school year working at his family's department store, and every last penny went into his vacation fund. It paid off, and now they were headed to the condo where they'd spend the next twenty one days.

"Dammit, Sora," Roxas, his twin brother, yells from the driver's seat. "Get your head back in the car. That's dangerous."

He pulls his head back in the window and tugs his headphones out. "Sorry."

"He was trying to get a peek of Kairi," Tidus says from the passenger seat. "How cute is that?"

"Oh, leave him alone," Wakka says. He's next to Sora, and he turns to face him. "You and Kairi have been a long time coming."

"Heh, yeah," Sora says, smiling sheepishly. "I guess we have."

They'd all been friends as children, and as they got older, his feelings for Kairi grew as well. It wasn't until high school that he realized what they meant. He's just glad that his brother helped him work up the courage to finally ask her out. His life seemed to be going perfectly in order. He was close with his family, he had all the friends he could ever want, and now the most beautiful girlfriend. He'd start his senior year of high school when summer ended, and then he'd go to college at Traverse University. Everything was going according to plan.

"Here we are!" Roxas says, the glee evident in his voice.

They drive past a sign that reads "Destiny Islands Beachfront Resort: Where Memories Are Made." Sora can't wait for the memories they would all make. He wants to have stories they can tell for the rest of their lives.

They drive through rows of large condos, each painted a bright color, before pulling up to one painted a robin's egg blue. Roxas parks in one of the spots available out front and Kairi pulls in right after.

Sora hops out of the car and trots over to where Kairi is pulling her bags out of the trunk.

"Let me get that for you," he says, reaching for the bag.

"I've got it." She smiles.

"How was the ride?"

"Long," she says as she makes her way toward the condo. Sora follows her as she continues talking. "Selphie is...very talkative. But I'm happy to be here, finally."

"Sora!" Roxas calls from the car. "Come grab your bags!"

He grudgingly turns to glare at Roxas who stands by the open trunk with his arms crossed. Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie brush past him with their bags in hand. He turns back to face Kairi, but she's already in the house, so he makes his way down to the car.

"What the hell?" he says. "I was trying to talk to her."

"You can talk to her once we're settled in." He closes the trunk once Sora pulls his bags out and locks the car. "Have you read the brochure on this place?"

Sora nods and smiles. Each condo has a view of the beach and a personal hot tub. There's an on site cafe, a tennis court, and a huge swimming pool for the guests. This was going to be the best vacation ever.

Sora and Roxas make their way up to the room they will share for the next few weeks. It has two beds, and a sliding glass door that steps out onto a small balcony with a couple of chairs. Sora sets his bags on his bed and steps outside, looking at the sky blue waves that crash against the sand. The air smells of salt, and the heat warms his skin. He feels like he's in heaven. He stands out there longer than he realizes.

"Hey!" Kairi's voice shakes him from his reverie. He turns and smiles at her as she steps onto the balcony next to him.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he says.

"Yeah, it is," she says, smiling. She turns to him. "We're all gonna go to the cafe to grab a bite to eat. You gonna come?"

As she says that, his stomach growls, causing her to giggle.

"I'll take that as a yes," she says, grabbing his hand and tugging him along behind her.

When they get outside, everyone is waiting for them. Selphie is talking Tidus's ear off about nothing in particular, Roxas is tapping away at his phone, and Wakka is kicking a rock around. They follow Roxas, who has a map of the whole resort, until they come upon a small cafe with a painted sign that says "Sea Salt Shack."

Light streams in through large windows, casting the walls and tables in an ethereal glow. They sit at table in the corner, sharing stories and laughing.

"So Sora jumps up, ready to fight, and immediately slips on a banana peel!" Roxas says in between fits of laughter.

Sora laughs and puts his face in his hands. "Did you have to tell that story?"

"I think it's cute!" Kairi says, leaning her head on Sora's shoulder.

"Yeah, Sora." Selphie reaches across the table and pinches Sora's cheek. "So cute."

Tidus bats her hand away and puts his arm around her. "Sora has a lot of stories like that. He's kind of clumsy."

"Hey, ease up, guys," Wakka says.

Before Sora can respond, he sees someone approaching the table from the corner of his eye. When he looks over, his breath catches in his throat. He's a tall, silver haired boy around Sora's age, maybe a little older. His eyes are the color of sea foam, and he smiles as he makes it to the table, revealing a dimple in his left cheek.

"Hey, guys," he says, pulling a small notepad from the apron tied around his waist. "I'm Riku, and I'll be helping you today. Can I start you off with some drinks?"

Everyone says what they want to drink, but when it's Sora's turn, he's too preoccupied with how the boy's, Riku's, shirt is just tight enough to show off how much he's worked for his figure. He's not too muscular; he's actually quite lean, but he's toned. Sora can't help but notice.

"Earth to Sora." Kairi pokes his cheek, giggling. "Are you thirsty?"

"Uh," he looks down at the menu.

"It's upside down," Riku says. He takes it from Sora's hands and flips it around for him. "I recommend the lemonade. It's hand squeezed."

"Y-Yeah," Sora says. "That's fine."

After Riku walks away, they go back to their conversation, but he catches Roxas looking at him, confused. He ignores it. When Riku comes back with the drinks, he takes their orders, and Sora manages to keep his cool. After they finish eating, they all stand outside while Roxas runs to the bathroom.

"Let's go swimming after this," Kairi says, hooking her arm through Sora's. "It's such a beautiful day."

He swallows at the thought of seeing Kairi in a bathing suit. "Great idea."

When Roxas comes back, they make their way back to the condo and change into their swimsuits. One glimpse of Kairi in her lavender bikini, and all thoughts of the silver haired waiter are pushed out of his head.

He's ready to enjoy his vacation.


	2. Sea Salt Shack

"Another summer of cooking for these rich brats," Axel says, dropping his cigarette onto the ground and stomping it out. "Fun, fun, fun."

Riku stands across from him, leaning against the back wall of the Sea Salt Shack. He leans down and picks up his cigarette butt when Riku glares at him. He really isn't in the mood to hear him complain.

"At least you're in the kitchen," Riku says, "I have to be face to face with them."

"Good point." Axel runs a hand through his hair and adjusts his chef jacket. "Say, after our shift let's take a dip in the community pool.

Riku rolls his eyes. "If Leon catches us mingling with the guests we'll be sent packing."

"Then he won't catch us," Axel says, smirking at him. Leon, their tyrant of a boss, was always on his case. But he didn't give a damn. The employees are the ones who keep this place running. They should be allowed to reap the benefits. For Axel, those benefits included taking a dip in the pool and warming up in the hot tubs of unoccupied condos. He'd been working at the resort every summer since he was fifteen and he'd never once been caught.

The back door opens and Namine's head pokes out. "You have a table, Riku."

Riku sighs and goes back inside. Axel follows and makes his way to the kitchen.

"Ay! My man!" Demyx pats Axel on the shoulder. "How was your break?"

Axel ignores him, because as soon as he settles into his station, the orders start rolling in. He puts out dozens of orders of cheese fries and mozzarella sticks. He makes sandwich after sandwich. Grease pops on his skin and the heat from the ovens makes him sweat. But soon, his relief shows up and he's free to take his lunch break.

"Boy am I glad to see you," he says as Larxene takes her place at his station.

She blows a bubble with her gum and gives him the finger.

"Charming as always," he says, turning away and heading toward the corridor that would lead into the dining area. He wasn't really supposed to be out there in his work uniform, but he wanted the feeling of the air conditioner.

As soon as he steps into the corridor, a blond head crashes into his chest, causing him to take a few steps back. He gains his bearings and looks at the person who almost knocked him over. He's a blond boy maybe a little younger than him, but about a foot shorter. He glares at Axel.

"Whoa there, short stuff." He presses a hand against the boy's chest when he tries to shove past. "Where you headed?"

"Don't call me that," the boy snaps. Axel raises an eyebrow at him and his cheeks turn red. "I need to use the bathroom."

"I think you made a wrong turn," Axel says. "Back down the corridor and to your left.

The boy turns and scurries away without so much as a thank you. At least there's good eye candy this year, Axel thinks as he sits at a small table made for two people. He pulls out his phone and scrolls through the "destinyislandresort" hashtag on Instagram. If he can get in good with some of the guests, maybe he can get into some good parties. It isn't long before he sees a familiar face.

The picture was posted only ten minutes earlier from inside the restaurant. The blond haired boy must've taken the picture as he is the closest to the camera. Behind him, a brown haired boy who looks a lot like him smiles with his arm around a red haired girl. A few other faces are partially cut out of the frame.

He reads the caption. "Day 1: If Sora eats anymore cheese fries he's gonna explode."

The name of the account is Roxas358. He follows it before heading outside to have another cigarette.

Later that day, just before sunset and just after their shifts are over, he and Riku head to the resort pool. They settle in near the deep end and Axel is ready to jump in, but when he turns to face Riku, he sees that his friend has pulled out a book.

"Aw, come on," he sighs. "Why even come to the pool if you're just gonna sit there?"

"I didn't wanna come, remember?" Riku doesn't look up from his books when he says it.

Axel rolls his eyes. Fine, he'll swim alone. He pulls his shirt off and tosses it onto Riku's head, ignoring his protests, and jumps into the pool. The chill of the water shocks his muscles and makes energy surge through his body. When he breaches the surface of the water again and gasps for hair, he turns to see a familiar face glaring at him.

"Hey, short stuff!" he says, laughing. "Aren't you a little small to be in the deep end?"

"You splashed me," he says. "Be careful where you're jumping."

"Sorry. I guess I got a little over excited."

Instead of responding, the boy seems to look past Axel. Axel turns to see what he's looking at. The brown haired boy from the instagram picture is kneeling next to Riku. He's pointing at something in Riku's book and they're talking, but Axel can't hear what they're saying. He turns back to the blond.

"That your brother?"

The boy nods, still watching the two of them.

"Why's he chatting up my best friend?"

"He's not chatting him up," the boy says, annoyed. "He likes books, that's all."

"Well, I guess it's good that Riku has someone he can talk to about that shit," Axel says, floating on his back. "Because I sure as hell don't like reading."

"Whatever." The boy swims past Axel and toward the ladder. Axel watches him hoist himself up and step onto the side of the pool. He doesn't know what causes him to call out to the boy, but it feels right in the moment.

"Hey!" Axel says. And though he already knows the answer from the instagram page he found, he asks anyway. "What's your name?"

The boy turns, water dripping from his body. "I'm Roxas. You?"

"Axel."

The boy, Roxas, offers him a curt nod before walking over to his brother and Riku. His brother looks up and nods before standing up. He turns and waves to Riku, and they trot off to their own towels at the other end of the pool.

Axel doesn't understand why, after a few minutes, he's still watching them.


End file.
